Indicating attachment for mail-boxes.



0. 1". THOMAS. INDIGATING ATTACHMENT FOR MAIL BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED APB-.10, 1914.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

.55E5. NVENTUR.

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. of a plate to UNITED STATES CHARLES F. TI-I OMAS, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

INDICATING ATTACHMENT FOB, MAIL-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed April 10, 1914. Serial No. 830,867.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. THOMAS, asubject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at the city of Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Indicating Attachments for Mail-Boxes, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvementsin an attachment or device to beused in connection with private mail boxes, such as are employed in therural free delivery system of the United States postoflice, and. itconsists in certain peculiarities of the construc tion, novelarrangement and operation of the various parts thereof, as will behereinafter more fully set'forth and specifically claimed. v v

The principal object of the invention is to provide an attachment formail boxes, which will indicate at a glance to the mail carrier orcollector, as well as to the owner of the box, whether or not any mailfor collection or removal. is contained in the box, thus avoiding thenecessity of. the carrier descending from his wagon or buggy and openingthe door of the box for such information, or the owner of the boxunlock-1' ing and opening the door to see if there is any mail therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide an indicating attachmentof the above named general character, which shall be simple andinexpensive in construction, strong, durable and efficient in operation,and with its parts so arranged that the sign indicating that mail iscontained in the box, will be automatically displayed by the deposit ofmail through the mail receiving slot, and that the box is empty byopening the door of the box.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in thesubjoined description and claims in the accompanying drawing, whichserves to illustrate the inventionFigure l is a front face view beattached to the front of a mail box, showing byv the sign that mail iscontained in the box; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the upper portion ofsaid plate, showing the sign raised and indicating that the box isempty; Fig. 3 is across sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a reartangular in shape and of sufficient size'to cover the front portionofthe mail box, which, in the present instance, is not shown. This plate'7 is by preference the doorlate of the mail box, and is provided with adoorway for the removal of mail, which doorway is closed by a door 8suitably hinged at one of its sides to the plate 7,- at one of the sideedges of the doorway therein, and may have near its other a lock 9. ofany suitable kind. Extended upwardly from the upper end of the doorwayis an opening 10, which may be of any suitable size and is normallyclosed by an upwardly extended projection 11, on the upper part of thedoor 8, which projection may be secured at its lower portion to the rearsurface of the door in any suitable manner,or, if desired, saidprojection may be made integrally therewith, At each of its ends theopening 10 is provided with an apertured extension 12, which, is securedto the plate 7 and extended rearwardly and at right angles therefrom.Located in the openings of the extensions 12 is a pintle 13 on which isrotatably mounted the sign or indicator-plate 14, which has displayed onits outer surface, when the same is in the position shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawing, the word Mail. The plate 14 has at each of its ends anapertured extension 15, to receive the pintle 13 on which it is mounted.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, it will be seenthat thepintle 13 on which the plate 14 is mounted is located above thehorizontal middle. of said plate, thus enabling it to assumesubstantially an upright position by reason of its gravity, except whenheld in its raised position by means of the door 16 to the mailreceiving slot 17, which is formed in the upper portion of the plate 7,directly abovethe openedge ing 10 therein. The door 16 to the receiving7 slot 17 is secured at its upper portion by means of hinges 18, whichare located at the upper edge of the door 16 and at the upper edge ofthe opening 17, and may be of the ordinary or any preferredconstruction. Just above the opening 17 the plate 7 is provided on itsrear surface with rearwardly projecting lugs :20, which support and havesecured thereto a rod 21, on which is coiled a spring 22, which isprovided with a depending loop 23, to rest againstthe rear portion ofthe door 16, or rather, against an extension 24, secured to the rearportion of said door. As shown in Fig. 3, the extension 24: has arearwardly extended foot 25 to rest against the upper surface of thesign plate or indicator 1 1', thus maintaining said plate or indicatorin its raised position, and thereby indicating that the mail box isempty.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing, it will be readilyunderstood and clearly seen that by opening the door 8,

i the sign plate or indicator 14: will be turned on its axis, by reasonof the engagement with said plate of the projection 11 on the door. Whenthus raised the plate 14 will be held in such position until the door 16is moved inwardly by the insertion of mail through the opening 17, whenit is obvious that by reason of its gravity the sign plate or inclicator1% will drop down or assume the position shown in Fig. 1, thusindicating that mail is contained in the box. It will be understood thatafter the door has been opened and the sign plate 1 raised the door 8should again be closed and ordinarily will be, before the door 16 ispressed rearwardly by the insertion of mail.

Having thus fully described my invention 7 hinged to the plate abovesaid slot and adapted toengage the sign-bearing plate' when the latteris raised.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a plate having a door- 1 way, a mail receivingslot, and a sign-displaying opening, of a door hinged to the plate toclose said way and having a projection extended into saidsign-displaying opening, a gravity-actuated sign-bearmg platehorizontally and pivotally mounted at its upper portion to the firstmentioned plate" at the upper portion of said opening, a spring-actuateddoor hinged to the plate above said slot and having an extension at itslower portion to engage the sign-bearing plate when the latter israised.

CHARLES F. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, A. S. PHILLIPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

